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Urban Native Wildlife and Garden for India projects underway

Middlebrook Gardens, along with Debra Keifel and Jane Burgunder, launched a new program in July known as the Urban Native Wildlife Neighborhood Program and more than 200 residents were invited to learn how to get to get involved with supporting habitat for local wildlife—right in their own front yard.

As you know, our gardens on Race St are home to Middlebrook Gardens, ELSEE and the California Native Garden Foundation.

This program is based on the knowledge that if we care about restoring the wildlife that was once so plentiful in Santa Clara County, we have to plant more native gardens in close proximity to each other.

One small native garden in a sea of lawns and non-native landscapes cannot provide enough habitats for many diverse species of birds, butterflies, insects and lizards to thrive. In order for our neighborhoods to support California’s incredible biodiversity, native gardens planted next door to each other or across the street are the solution.

Debra, Jane and I had the opportunity to explain why going local and going native adds other benefits like clean air, clean water, carbon sequestration and soil health along with greater local biodiversity and a more stable ecosystem.

Let’s build local networks of vibrant biodiversity in our local neighborhoods. You’ve heard the expression that “all politics is local,” right? Well, “all ecosystems are local too!”

Stay tuned for announcements of where our next neighborhood event will be. If you have a native garden and would like to see more native wildlife habitat in your community, please contact Debra Keifel at daxkeifel@gmail.com or jane@middlebrook-gardens.com.

Globally, Our Garden for India partnership with Edible Routes in New Delhi India is underway. You can read the full press packet to learn all of the fascinating details. Many thanks to Deeksha Chopra, who heads up our grant writing team for finding Kapil Mandawewala, CEO of Edible Routes and his team, including Anna Zimmer, Nabanita “Julie” Bajaj, Shirpa and Fazal Rashid.

Our design team has received the dimensions of their proposed regenerative farm, food forest, native hedgerows and teaching garden from our Garden for India team and we will be drawing up their plan as we seek further input from them and build our collaboration together.